Doughnut maker



Aug. 17, 1948. E. J. HUTCHINSON 2,447,182

DOUGHNUT MAKER Filed May 22, 1945 IINVENTOR. fwsesa/v J Harm/N50 I I UNITED STATES .PATE'NT: I OFFICE I v ,4 82 7 p w 7 i.

. DOUGHNUT MAKER i Emerson J. Hutchinson, Los Angeles, Calif,

Application May 22, 1945, Serial N 595 2 'This invention relates to doughnut makers and an object of my invention is to provide an extremely imple, inexpensive, easily operable and practical device for making doughnuts, or the like.

Another object of my invention is to provide a doughnut forming device of such extreme simplcity that it can easily be used by persons having little or no mechanical skill and particularly adapted for home use:

7 Another object of my invention is to provide a doughnut maker comprising only three simple, essential and easily cleanable parts capable of rapid assembly and disassembly Without the aid of tools or other mechanical aids.

Another object of my invention is to provide a doughnut maker which is light in weight so that it can be easily operated with one hand to produce uniform desirably shaped doughnuts.

A further object of .my invention is to provid a doughnut making device which can be held in the hand of the user and with Which doughnuts are formed by a simple vertical reciprocating movement of the doughnut device with respect to a suitable abutment such as the bottom of a pan, skillet or other vessel in which the device deposits the doughnuts being formed or made. 7

The invention is characterized by its extreme simplicity as to construction, operations, 7 andalso maintenance since it is a primary object of the invention to provide-a doughnut maker particularly suitable for home use.

3 Claims. (Cl. 107-14) 2 I one typical form oi'my invention, it being understood that variations may be made nem he par-j ticular details shown without departing irom the principles of the invention. j j

The doughnut maker which is shown in thedrawing comprises, generally, only three essential parts: armain part in the form of a tubular body lI having a valve seat I2- at one end and a central guide. IS; a valve unit I-I comprising a valve disc I5 cooperating with the valve seat I2, an up; per stem I6 operating in the guide I3, and a lower depending stem I! which forms a fixed stop and is adapted to engage and abut against the bottoinof a skilletor the like S; and a flexible dough container I8 comprising a fabric bag or sack I9 provided with the draw-string 28, orthe like, around th lower open end of the container for connecting said container'to the body 'lI so that material, such as doug h, from the container i8 canfbe delivered tofthe body I I for dischargeipast the'valve 7, j p The main part or body I i' is formed as arigid, light weight unit of a light metal suchas aluminum, or of a suitable molded plastic material such. as a' phenolic resin. The tubular body I I is open-; ended, affording a through cylindrical chamber 25. The valve "seat I2 is formed providing an annular chamfer 26 atthe lower end of the 3Q tubular body I I. By this construction asharp an The various objects and features of my invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description of a typical preferred form and application of the invention, throughout which description reference ismade to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a doughnut maker embodying my invention and shown in use in a typical manner;

Fig. 2 is avertical half sectional, half elevational view, partly broken, of the doughnut maker shown. in Fig. 1; v

Fig. 3 is a vertical partly broken sectional View of the doughnut maker in another operative position; and l V 7 Fig.4: is a plan sectional view as taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1. I r

, I have illustrated and will hereinafter" describe nularedge 21 is formed, which edge is adapted to out dough cleanly and with little effort.

The central guide I 3 comprises a tubular part 28 which extends longitudinally from a point sub-' stantially opposite theupperendi of the tubular body l I downward, toward the valve seat I 2; "The tubular part 28 is integrally connected with the tubular body I! by suitable arms or ribs 29 ex tending 'in or through the chamber 25. The ribs 29 form a supporting spider for the'tub-ula'r body' part2 8. 'Adja'cent its upper end the tubular body I I "is provided in its outer wall or surface with an outer annular groove 30. M I

Thelvalye unit I i may be, a solid' or integral unit. 1'H0ivever;-I prefer to construct this of. a rod which comprises the upper and lower stems IBjand I'I, respectively; andthevalve disc I5 suit-. ably and. permanently secured to saidrod". ii e s i el n we th m ste l like strong material and the valve disc of a material similar to the cylindrical unit I2.

The valve disc, generally, is disposed beneath the valve seat [2 and is somewhat larger in diameter than the annular edge 21 so that the peripheral edge 3| of the valve will engage said annular edge 21 to cut or shear dough passing from the chamber 25. The valve disc [5 is shown with an upper conical part 32 which serves as means for guiding dough outwardly to the valve seat l2 and with an inverted conical lower part 33 which lends rigidity to said valve disc [5. The upper stem [6 extends axially upward in the chamber 25, through the central guide l3 and when the valve disc [5 is engaged with the seat I 2 the stem 16 projects upwardly above the top end of the cylindrical unit [0. This projection of the stem 16 is commensurate in extent to the desired maximum space between the valve disc 15 and seat I2 when said valve disc and seat are apart to provide an annular discharge throat 34 for dough passing from the chamber 25. The length of the lower stem l1 may vary. However, it is preferably long enough so that when the bottom end of said stem is set on the bottom of a vessel such as the skillet S, the valve disc I5 is elevated with respect to the level of the fat in which the doughnuts are cooked.

From the foregoing description it may be seen that the valve unit 14 and the body I l are movable, reciprocally relative to each other. The movement is limited in one direction by the engagement of. the valve disc l5 and its seat l2. I provide means for limiting said movement in the other direction and for this purpose have shown a cotter pin 35 having one leg 36 extending through a transverse hole 31 adjacent the upper end of the upper stem l6, and an annular groove 38- in said stem for engagement with an outwardly curved hump 39 formed in. the other'leg of said cotter pin. Said cotter pin engages the upper end of the central guide I3 when the valve is moved to its maximum distance from the seat 12. The cotter pin. is easily inserted or removed for quick assembly or disassembly of the parts. In practice I may vary the construction and instead of the cotter pin I may employ other means such as a resilient snap ring around the stern which can be easily forced through the central guide but which will amply serve as a movement limiting abutment as abovedescribed.

The bag [9 of the flexible container [8 comprises a substantially impervious preferably conically formed fabric member which is open at both its larger upper end 35 and at its smaller lower end 36. Said open lower end 36 is provided with an annular pocket or channel 31 by doubling back the end of the fabric cone and stitching along the line 38. The drawstring 20 in the channel 31 serves to draw said bag end 36 intothe groove 30 of the tubular body I l to securely attach the container 18 to said body, said drawstring being tied at 39.

The doughnut maker above provided is easily prepared for use. The upper stem l6v is inserted through the central guide l3, the cotter pin 351s applied, and the flexible container fastened to the body ll. With the lower stem I1 resting on any support, the container I8 is filled with a batch of dough. The filled part of the bag provides a hand. hold comprising the upper larger end of said container. By gathering said upper end together and pressing lightly on the dough filled portion thereof, the dough may be forced into the chamber 25 and against the conical part 32 of the valve 4 disc as shown in Fig. 2. The dough maker is then ready for operation.

The dough maker is transferred to the vessel in which the doughnuts are to be cooked and the stem [1 set upright on the bottom of said vessel. by pressing on the filled portion of the container l8 with the palm of the hand which holds the device, the dough in the chamber 25 is forced out between the valve disc edge 3| and the tubular body edge 21. This pressure causes an upward movement of the unit 10 and the container [8 and results in the throat 34 becoming progressively wider. As the dough is pressed through the throat 34, it increases in diameter and sags down around the disc edge 3] as. shown in Fig. 3. When the top end of the central guide l3 encounters the cotter pin 35, the limit of movement upward is attained. By continuing a light but firm pressure on the container 18 and by pressing downwardly on said container, the valve seat I2 will be moved back toward the valve disc edge 3|. During this downward movement the sharp annular edge 21 cuts into the dough to part it cleanly and when said edge 21 encounters the valve disc, a torus-shaped piece of dough D (shownin Fig. I) will fall into the skillet S or other vessel, or rather, upon the surface of the cooking oil in said vessel. By lifting the entire device and setting the stem 11 upon another portion of the skillet, the operation can be repeated.

It is to be noted that the device which I have provided is extremely simple in construction and also in operation. It involves but few simple parts that can be easily and cheaply made, which are simple to assemble and operate and which can be easily kept clean.

Having. described only a typical preferred form and application of my invention I do not Wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but. wish to reserve to myself any modifications of variations that may appear to those skilled in the: art and fall withinthescope of the following claims.

Having. described my invention, I. claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a cylindrically tubular body, an open ended tubular guide axially disposed in the upper portion of said body, ribs connecting the body and the guide, a valve axially movable to engage the lower end of said body to close the same, said valve comprising a disc and an axial stem ex-- tending upwardly from the disc through the body andthe tubular guide and extending downwardly from the disc formin a fixed stop, means on the stem retaining the stem in the tubular guide, and a flexible container detachably mounted. on the said body at the upper end thereof.

2.- A device of the character described comprising a cylindrically tubular body, a tubular guide axially disposed in the upper portion of said. body, ribs connecting the body and the guide, said body havingv an annular valve seat at its lower end, a valve axially movable to engage said Valve seat, said valve comprising a disc, an axial stem extending upwardly from the disc through said body and completely through the tubular guide and a stop depending from the disc and a retainer on the stem above the tubular guide stopping withdrawal of the stem from the guide.

3. A device of the character described comprising a cylindrically tubular body, an open ended tubular guide axially disposed in the upper portion of the body, ribs connecting the body and the guide, a valve axially movable to engage the lower end of said body to close the same, an

axial stem extending outwardly from the valve through said body and tubular guide, a stop depending from the valve, a retainer on the stem above the upper end of the tubular guide, a flexi- -b-le container engageable over the upper end portion of said. body, and means releasa'bIy securing the container on the body.

EMERSON J. HUTCHINSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 Number 

